United We Stand, Divided We Fall
by BookwormGirl16
Summary: Takes place after Vespers Rising when Jonah gets Amy's video call. Please give it a chance I have some really good ideas for this story... *evil laughter* Read if you like a story with lots of action and a little romance! Nothing to do with second series. Bits of romance from different pairings here and there. You can help pick the pairings!... XD GO ON CLICK! please?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so this is my first 39 Clues fic although I've been a fan forever I've never posted a story... stupid I know. So sorry if the characters seem wierd in this first chap. I'm still getting used to writing them. Also, there won't be very much 3rd person- more like the characters personal POVs later it just needed to start this way ;) Like my PJ fic (check it out?) this came to me in a dream :D I know I'm wierd ;D Sorry if I mess a few things up from Vesper's Rising but I don't have access to the book right now :( Please give this a chance, and review with suggestions... it always takes me a while to get a story to flow so if you can just bear with me on the first few chapters :) or if it's truly awful then I want to know (not in a flame if you please). And I have a contest going 'Clues Contest' so yeah and I'm in the awesome I'm-A-Fallen-Angel39's contest, check it out! btw: what makes you think I own the 39 clues? okay you can read now...**

Chapter 1

**Jonah POV: **

** '**_No. No no no no. No. This has to be a prank. No one would try to go after Amy or Dan, let alone when they were together- they're _almost _as awesome as _me._ The hunt is over, who would be after us now?... But the look in Amy's beauti-eyes, yes eyes that's it…no one could fake the naked fear in them. If Amy and Dan are in trouble it's up to the Gangsta to help them, I owe them that much- and more. But then again- it doesn't hurt to have backup…'_ I reach towards the button that will connect the video call.

**Third Person POV:**

The screen lit up and showed a frowning Sinead with a smudge of oil on her cheek. The screen divided into two and Hamilton's bulk filled the other half the screen. He was followed quickly by a scowling Ian.

"What is it now Jonah? If it's another one of those ridiculous things with slurred words put to a two year old on drums that you call a song winning some award- I don't want to hear it."

"Ian be nice, I'm sure there is some reason he called us." Sinead glares at the screen on her side- which everyone assumes is where Jonah's face is. "Otherwise I might just have to test the bomb I was working on." She smiles, looking frighteningly like the Cheshire Cat. It was just dawning on Jonah just how much trouble Amy and Dan could really be in. His face slowly drained of color and he started shaking. Only Hamilton notices Jonah's worried expression and panicked look.

"Hey Jonah, my man, something up?" Jonah's only response is a slight nod of the head.

"Are you alright?" Sinead was sitting forward and looking intently at the screen. A shake of the head this time.

"Well then what's the matter?" Ian asks impatiently. Jonah opens his mouth slightly but closes it again before speaking in a shaky voice.

"Amy and Dan are in trouble."

…

"Sinead, are you _sure_ they aren't there?" Ian asked over the four-way call.

"Yes I'm quite sure that I would notice if the people I lived with suddenly came back from what they told me was a simple little trip to a bank." Sinead said testily- but they all knew it was to hide her worry.

"Guys, now isn't the time to argue. Status report." Jonah had unofficially taken over as leader, he was- after all the one who had gotten the call. Even though Cahills _never_ agree on anything- after they watched the video everyone was trying to help.

"On the plane now cuz, we'll be there in an hour." Hamilton answered.

"We?"

"Me, Madison, and Reagan."

"Great. Ian?"

"We're currently on a flight also; we should arrive in about two hours." Ian said.

"Natalie?" Jonah asked wearily.

"Yes."

"This just gets better and better…" There was some mumbling on Ian's end that sounded suspiciously like 'slow and painful death'. "Sinead?" Jonah continued.

"You all seem to forget I live with them!"

"No we don't and I was going to ask if you would send someone to get us." Jonah explained calmly.

"You can walk."

…

"Sinead we're coming up to the front gate, could you please tell your brainless wall of muscle here to let us in?" Came Ian's voice out of Sinead's phone.

"Fine I'm turning off all security now. Welcome to Cahill Manor."

"Cut the theatrics Sinead and open the door."

"Ian I would strongly advise against being snotty, I am currently holding a master control and with a single code could kill you right now."

_Ding dong._

"Wise choice."

…

Waiting, one of the most unpleasant things in the world. Waiting for someone you love, unbearable. Waiting for a Cahill in a room of Cahills from other branches- maddening.

"Any luck with Nellie?" Hamilton asked, breaking the silence that had stretched for almost two and a half hours.

"No she's in a special cooking class in New York right now," Sinead answered. They lapsed back into silence. But Sinead carefully looked at each person in the room. There was Madison and Reagan on her right, they were thumb wrestling each other but kept shooting glances at the door. Next to them Hamilton was staring straight ahead, but holding his phone tightly enough that the case was cracked in several places. Across from her Ian and Natalie were the epitome of cool and collected, but if you looked hard enough you could see Ian hold himself back from jumping out of his seat to the door at every little noise. Natalie on the other hand was studying her nails endlessly- as usual, but you could just barely make out a slight tightening of her jaw. Jonah was watching his phone intently, probably re-watching the video that led them all here. After observing everyone for a few more minutes Sinead's eyelids began to droop. One by one, the Cahills fell asleep.

…

_Beep beep beep._

"Cut the black wire," Ian said groggily.

_Beep beep beep._

"Turn off the fire alarm Maddy, Dad told you not to shoot flaming arrows remember?" Hamilton said without opening his eyes, or his mouth for that matter.

_Beep beep beep._

"Wasn't me… Reag?" Madison mumbled. Her only answer was a sleep-punch from her twin.

_Beep beep beep. _

"Who changed my alarm? The Wiz only wakes up to his music." The way Jonah said it though made it sound like 'who chain my larm the wiz own lay ake uh to is moo'.

_Beep beep beep._

"Whad' ya wah Amy?" Sinead slurred. '_Amy' _the previous day's details came rushing back to her. She immediately sat up and grabbed the master control from the spot on the couch next to her. She quickly typed in a complicated code and the beeping stopped, much to the relief of everyone in the room. That is everyone but the person responsible for turning it off. The screen was displaying footage from the cameras positioned to face the driveway. The thing that had set off the alarm was currently barreling towards the front door. Sinead immediately started to panic, but then in the back of her mind she realized what the alarm was for. It wasn't an intruder, no whoever was in the car had passed through all of the security measures- and there were hundreds- one little thing would see the police here in 30 seconds flat. She herself had designed some of them and tested it on several occasions. What was setting the alarm off was the speed of the car. Once that registered she took a good look at the car. It was a black Mercedes Guardian, _Fiske's_ black Mercedes Guardian. She let out a squeal that was purely from relief and tiredness- that's what she'll tell you if you ask about it, then she'll snap your arm; Sinead Starling doesn't squeal. She ran out the door and that more than the beeping woke everyone one up completely enough to follow her. Fiske's car had skidded to a stop but Dan had apparently jumped out while it was still moving because he was almost to the front door. Everyone was smiling; they thought he was just practicing his ninja moves. But Hamilton had been hanging around with Dan more and more after the clue hunt. Something was wrong.

"What's up Dan-o?" Dan's eyes were wild and his face pale. He took a few deep breaths before tears started to well up in his eyes.

"Amy's been shot."

**oooh cliffy ;) haha review :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay I'm back! Long time no see right? I just couldn't stay away from this story... I've been daydreaming about it all day :D Anyways enough of my ever present wierdness... I'm going to answer some reviews! 39 Clues and PJO fanatic- First review! Wahoo! and I appreciate it :) I'm-A-Fallen-Angel39 (Check out her contest)- Thanks :) JesseCPK- Thank you! and it's complicated... MWAHAHAHAHAHA (have you noticed I like doing that? Anyone?) Days-Like-These- Longest review :D it makes me smile :) Thank you, and that's a great tip and I intend to keep it in mind, but this chap is kind of like that- but for a reason :) I'll definitely work on it. Okay and BIG THANKS to the first reviewers! You're all awesome! heh you probably just skipped this and started reading, am I right? So... no disclaimer? Fine. I'm posting on FAN fiction. net _not_ I'm-the-owner-of-a-world-renowned-series-and-a-billionaire. net kapeesh? or is it kaposh? hmmm...**

Chapter 2

**Third Person POV:**

Dan's answer was met with complete silence. Then the figurative bomb exploded.

"Is she okay?"

"Where is she?"

"What happened?"

"Who shot her?"

"Is everyone else alright?"

"Where did they shoot her at?" The questions were coming too thick and fast for Dan to answer. Luckily, or as lucky as you can be in this situation, Fiske appeared from around the corner. He was carrying… nobody needed to look but they all felt compelled to. There in his arms was Amy, covered in blood.

"Sinead," Fiske's voice was strained and he was panting slightly from running. "Red. 92." Sinead nodded shakily, and with one last look at Amy sprinted into the mansion. He didn't stop when he was in the midst of the other Cahills he merely yelled over his shoulder, "Dan help Sinead, the rest of you _stay there_." He ran down the hall, and disappeared around the bend.

…

"Well?" Jonah asked the question on everyone's mind. It had been two hours, fourteen minutes, and three seconds (according to Ian) since Fiske had disappeared into that room with Amy. The only ones allowed in were Fiske, Dan, and occasionally Sinead. Fiske waited a moment, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Is she…" Hamilton didn't finish his sentence-nor did he need to, everyone had been preparing themselves for the worst case scenario. Fiske looked up sharply but wearily.

"She's alive, barely."

"Barely? What do you mean barely?" Ian asked.

"Amy is currently in a coma," Fiske finished his sentence quietly but everyone heard it as though he were shouting it at them.

"H-how?" Reagan's voice caught.

"Blood loss, we have a Madrigal agent that doubles as a doctor- in neurology."

"Neurology?"

"Yes, one of the bullets- thank god- only grazed her temple."

"And by grazed he means cut it to the bone," Sinead mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear, when she noticed Fiske glaring at her she quickly added, "they deserve to know the truth."

Fiske nodded grudgingly, "Yes I suppose you're right, and the other bullet hit her arm and cracked a rib."

"Can we see her?" This came from a, surprisingly, silent Natalie.

…

They all filed silently into the infirmary, they're Cahills of course they have their own mini-hospital in their house. Amy was lying on one of five beds; the other four looked like they had never been used. Her head and right arm were heavily bandaged, but most of the blood had been washed away. Her eyes were still closed though and she was deathly pale. She was hooked up to a few machines, but one really hit it home for some people. A ventilator. Amy wasn't breathing by herself. Dan was sitting in one of the chairs next to her bed; he was holding her hand and gently stroking it with his thumb. The Kabras, Holts, Jonah, Sinead, and Fiske by unspoken agreement didn't talk- but walked silently to the bed. Jonah and Hamilton each put a hand on one of his shoulders at the same moment. Dan didn't even glance back at them, he simply stared at Amy.

"You can talk to her," Fiske said, gesturing to the opposite side of the bed, "Let her know you're here. They say that people can hear you while you're in a coma; it also gives their consciousness a reason to fight harder to surface. We'll give each of you a chance to talk alone." Everyone looked at each other a moment before Jonah stepped forward. He sat down on the chair Dan had just gotten up from. Jonah took her hand but waited until everyone was gone before speaking.

"Hey Amy, it's me Jonah- you know your favorite singer?" Jonah laughed knowing too well what Amy thought of his 'music'. "I got your call. I wish I could have done more… this is my fault…" For the first time in a long time, Jonah felt a tear slide down his cheek. "I- we need you to wake up. But I got everyone here and together and no one's dead," he winced at his choice of words, "p-pretty Madrigal of me huh? I-I gotta go Ames, I'll come back later okay?" Jonah hesitates and quickly kisses the uninjured part of her forehead. He gets up and hastily wipes the tear off his cheek and does like his acting coach says to do- wipe your face of emotion. They were all talking amongst themselves in the hall. When Jonah came out Hamilton jumped up. With a nod from Jonah he walked inside and shut the door behind himself.

"What's up Amester? It's Hamilton. We're all here waiting on you to get better. Which you will. You're strong- Holt strong. Ugh, we both know I'm not good with words- but I'll tell you what, you get better and I'll play that game you tried to get me to play last month. What was it? Scribble? Oh well, you know what I mean." He smiles remembering when Amy first tried to teach him to play- he joked that he couldn't even get the name right, how was he supposed to play? "We'll talk later 'kay?" After a moment's pause he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against her cheek. He took a calming breath thinking 'Holts don't cry. Holts don't cry. Holts don't cry.' and opened the door. He nodded at Ian, who was the closest to the door. "You're up Cobra." Ian didn't even comment on the nickname- he was too busy concentrating on getting through the door.

"Hello love," Ian smirked thinking of her usual reaction to the name. He watched her hands for any sign of suddenly moving and slapping him across the face. Ian found himself secretly hoping that they would- it would show she was waking up. "You need to wake up alright? But just a warning love, Natalie will have a fit when she sees your closet." Ian couldn't believe himself, Amy almost _died_ and her he is talking about how his sister won't like her wardrobe. "Don't _ever_ do that again though, you hear? I about had a heart attack when I saw you covered in blood. I thought you were dead." Ian lowered his head remembering the time her left her to die in Korea. "I'll be here when you wake up love." And with that he brought the hand he was holding up to his lips and kissed it. Taking another look at Amy he sighed and walked out the door. Madison and Reagan were the next ones in line so he graciously stepped out of their way- still lost in his own thoughts.

"Hey Amy."

"I was going to say that Reagan!"

"Oh well, we wanted you to know that we think that Ha-"

"Wait! Let's tell her together!"

"We think that Hamilton has a crush on you!" They chorused. Madison and Reagan waited for an answer.

"You're welcome," Madison said grumpily- she had wanted Amy to tell her that they did a good job. Just like she always did when they trained with her when they visited.

"She's unconscious, Mad," Reagan said quietly.

"I know, I was just hoping…" They had been the same thing as their brother since they were young 'Holts don't cry.' But both were at this moment. Neither of them had ever been good at making friends- the other kids were scared of them. But they had made a friend in Amy. They had all spent hours in the library and gym together- having fun, laughing, being able to share secrets. It was a new experience for the Holt twins. "Get well soon Amy." They both patted her uninjured arm and started walking towards the door- just like their brother they destroyed all evidence of tears first though. Once outside they looked at the last person. "Your turn Cobra."

Natalie mentally sighed, some things never change. "Hello peas- Amy." No response, she hadn't expected any but she didn't really know Amy well. "Remember what my brother told you if you can really hear us- it'll be good blackmail material for sure." Another pause. "Ian is really shaken up over you being injured, so wake up soon and then you can have the pleasure of showing me around this pathetic city. And I can get you looking half-way decent." Natalie realized just how harsh that sounded. "Sorry… I'll just go…" As she walked into the hall and sat beside her brother Fiske appeared again.

"Has everyone gone?" He asked glancing around. They all nod their head. "Good."

"Are you going to tell us what happened now?" Ian inquired.

Fiske sighed, "Right this way."

**Quick question: how old is everybody in VR? Still don't have my book :( and... what did you think? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**okay so this is a tiny bit shorter than the others- I'm talking like 100 words. But I really needed to post this... Check out my 39 clues contest! Please? REVIEW TIME! I'm-A-Fallen-Angel39- Thanks ;) 39 Clues and PJO fanatic- lol I was born wierd :) randomreviewer- thank you! That means a lot :D reader- I am too! TheHelper3440- Your wisk is my command *hands you new chapter* addicted2reading9- okay thanks! ** **I believe that too, so did it seem like they didn't? I'm sorry if it did and let me know what to do to change it. Thanks for your reviews! I dance around whenever I get one! haha... it wasn't for this story (my "Mark of Athena") that I fell... lol I'm clumsy :D anyways... **

**Me: IAAAAAN! JOOOONAAAH! HAAAAMILTOOON! Disclaimer!**

**Ian: Why do we have to do it?**

**Hamilton and Jonah: Yeah! Why us?**

**Me: Whovever does the disclaimer gets Amy!**

**All of them: BOOKWORMGIRL16DOESN'TOWNTHE39CLUES!**

**Me: Hmmm... TIE!**

Chapter 3

**Third Person POV:**

Everyone followed Fiske for several minutes; this house was _huge_, before he led them into a conference room. Without being told, each of them sat down in a comfortable swivel chair around a large table. Fiske lowered himself into the one at the head and stared at them for a few moments. After searching each of their eyes he finally nodded to himself and sat up straighter. "I would advise keeping an open mind and refrain from making any annoying sounds of disbelief. Also, leave all comments and questions until the end- understood?" Everyone nodded, Fiske may be an old man- but he had managed living with Dan Cahill for a year. There was something to be said for that.

"Five hundred years ago Gideon Cahill was experimenting trying to find a cure for the Plague. This much all of you have heard of since birth, what you don't know is that he had a friend- Damien Vesper. He financed Gideon's work, until he tried to take it for himself…" For the next forty-five minutes no one moved a muscle, far less talked, for fear of being kicked out and not hearing the rest. When Fiske finished telling them the _entire _story- not the heavily edited version they've always been told, there was complete and utter silence. Naturally, Sinead was the first to figure it out and wasn't happy.

"So there is a rival family?" her voice was quiet, but menacing, "And you just conveniently forgot to tell me? Did you know Dan?" She looked accusingly at Dan who was sitting on Fiske's right. Her only answer was a slight nod of the head. If Dan knew then that meant that Amy had most definitely known. Fiske had been living with Sinead for almost a year now and was trained to see things through other's minds. He knew what she was thinking.

"She wanted to tell you, you're like her sister. There were many times she fell asleep crying at night because she was keeping a secret from you. It broke my heart to see her like that- but that was the way it had to be. I'm sorry." Sinead was ashamed of herself; she knew that Amy wouldn't willingly keep something _this_ big from her. "And only a select few are actual descendants of Damien- the rest are lured into their ranks with promises of power and money. It's quite effective."

"What does that have to do with Amy being shot? Are these Vesper people the ones behind it?" Hamilton asked.

"That is why I told you about Damien, but this is a story best heard from the beginning. A few days ago I came across one of Grace's papers and figured out that there was important information about the Vespers in a safety deposit box in Switzerland. We were led to one of Grace's homes in the area and Amy and Dan cracked the code necessary to find this." He laid a golden ring on the table, gently as if it would explode. Although for all they knew it could- they _were _Cahill's, they didn't do normal. The confused looks he was getting prompted Fiske to continue. "Gideon's ring. Grace left a note explaining how Amy was now the ring's Keeper. It always falls to the head of the Madrigal branch."

"But, Fiske- aren't you the head of the branch?" Jonah asked the question they were all thinking.

"No, and I never was. I merely lead the Madrigal's until Amy could take over. Only the eldest female descendant of Madeleine can be branch leader. Madeleine made very sure that it would be this way. The moment Grace died, Amy became leader. Of course I've been helping her but Madeleine dictated that if the current heir was under sixteen they were to be advised by any member of her lineage suitable. Understand?" Fiske didn't wait for an answer. "As I was saying, Olivia tricked Damien into letting her keep the ring. The Vespers learned very quickly what it really was capable of doing." He took a deep breath, "It has the power to bring down the Vespers."

"How is that possible?" Natalie interrupted.

"It is rumored to be more powerful than the master serum. And so the Vespers are willing to take it, _forcibly_. After we had obtained the ring we were chased down the mountain by some of them. By pure luck we managed to escape and made it to the airport and boarded our flight without any problems. Hopefully you all realize that this is highly curious. When we landed we were entering our car when Amy noticed someone was following us. That's when they started shooting. Although Dan and I were outside the car also, they seemed more intent on Amy. She dodged a few, but one hit her arm. Then another Vesper came out from around the car and shot at Dan. It couldn't have been more than a blur, but Amy shoved him aside and the bullet hit her temple. We managed to drag her in and lost the tail that was following us in a car. The Madrigals have had surveillance on each of you for the past months. You all had at least one Vesper following you at some point." No one moved, you could have heard a pin drop. That was until Fiske's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" He was silent for a few minutes, listening. There was a maelstrom of emotions going across his face: fear, uncertainty, curiosity, and… happiness. He snapped the phone shut and looked out at everyone. "Amy's breathing and pulse have sped up- they've taken her off of the ventilator. It's too soon to be sure but they think Amy is waking up."

**Okay so a few things: First, what should I do about Evan? Should he be in the story? Second, What team are you on? (for couples) Third, What do you think of this chapter? Fourth, Enter my 39 Clues contest! Fifth, review! Sixth, REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so this is a sort of longer chapter... sorry it took me so long to update... REVIEWS: randomreviewer- Thank you! And I usually agree with the whole Amian thing but I don't know if that's the way I want to go with this hmm... KTRose12- Thanks! And I tried to break these chapters up more... Person- Thanks, and I'm a little suspicious of him too Angelwings- Um, I won't _try_ to make it cheesy. And as for the last part- read on :D 39clueslover- Aww, thanks I'm considering it. and thanks for the ages Hostage2- Thanks for your reviewS :D Scintillating Golden Leaves- First off, I like your username it's so original :D and thank you I'll keep that in mind (although there's only been one POV change...) I tried to break up the paragraphs in this chap more THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED I APPRECIATE IT! Shameless self advertising: CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORIES! Anyways I don't own the 39 Clues...**

Chapter 4

**Third Person POV:**

There was a mad dash to get to the infirmary. This only lasted about thirty seconds, as no one knew their way around the mansion. So naturally Fiske, Dan, and Sinead were the first to reach the infirmary with the others not too far behind them. Dan and Sinead hit the door running and in their haste to get it open- tripped over each other. Both were up though the instant they hit the floor. The sight that greeted us was considerably more encouraging than the one they had left a few hours ago.

Amy, though still obviously unconscious, was off of the ventilator- and a few other machines. One of the ones that were still connected was emitting a steady _beep_ing sound that, faintly, seemed to be speeding up. Some of the color had returned to Amy's cheeks and even though she was still pale, she looked healthier. As we all crowded around her once again you could see the naked hope in all of our faces- even Natalie's. Seconds turned into minutes as we all silently watched her. There was a low trilling sound and everyone looked expectantly at Fiske. He glanced at his phone and his lips twitched upward slightly.

"They expect that if it continues at this rate, Amy should be with us by morning at the latest. For now though we have to leave. Sinead will show you to your rooms." After one last long look at Amy they all filed out. Dan, though, lingered for a moment.

"Fiske?" Fiske looked up from Amy-startled.

"Yes Dan?"

"Is she going to be alright?" Dan's voice shook slightly. Fiske caught on to it and hugged him tightly.

"Of course."

…

"Alright, all of your rooms are here in hallway. Each suite has five bedrooms in it with a connected bathroom. There is a suite for each branch." There was no need for Sinead to tell them what door their suite was behind. Each door was painted win the branch's color and crest. "Any questions?" She continued without waiting for an answer. "Okay go ahead and get settled. You'll find your supper on the table. There is a call button in each of the rooms for emergencies only. It's inadvisable for you to leave the suite without a good reason unless you wish to suffer the consequences. Good night."

…

The next morning at breakfast everyone had barely sat down when Fiske stood to make his announcement. "Last night Amy regained consciousness-"He was cut off by the sudden outcry of voices.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"When can we see her?"

"Is she alright?"

"Calm down everyone. First off it was late and I didn't see the point in waking you. She fell asleep almost immediately. Second, as soon as you finish breakfast. And lastly, she is fine. We have an Ekat agent that is very good with medicine. She will need to rest for a few days but she won't suffer from most of the post coma symptoms except being extremely tired. Her arm and rib are still broken but well on their way to recovery. Her head wound will take a little longer but we fully expect it to mend fully over time." He looked at everyone individually and calmly sat down to finish his breakfast. But he never did get to, the rest of the Cahills were out the door and dragging him along before the fork could reach his mouth.

…

Everyone silently filed in. This time, there wasn't any medical equipment to be seen. Just Amy, she was lying in a fetal position and her hand kept twitching- much more preferable than her previous position. As they approached Hamilton stepped on Natalie's foot.

"Ouch! Watch it Dolt."

"Shhhh!" Amy's eyelids started moving slightly. No one in the room dared to breath. They flickered open for the slightest moment and then were closed again. She pulled her arm closer to her body and tried to open her eyes again.

"mm-mmm" it was barely audible, but it was there- Amy was trying to talk. "mmming aan" Another slight opening of her eyes. A look of comprehension came across Dan's face. He moved closer to Amy and grabbed her hand.

"I'm right here Amy. Fiske, do you still have it?" Fiske seemed to understand and reached into his jacket pocket.

"I have the ring right here Amy. It's safe." He handed the ring to Dan who put it on her finger. "We kept it away from the Vespers." Amy's lips turned up slightly at the corners and she tried once more to open her eyes. They stayed open for a few seconds longer than the last time and everyone could see that her jade green eyes were cloudy and unfocused. But she still lifted her other arm up in the general direction of Fiske. It was shaking but before it could fall on the mattress he took hold of her hand. "You did well dear, now rest." Amy didn't react but her arm slackened and she stopped moving.

"The after-effects of the anesthesia she was given. It should wear off within the next few hours." Fiske explained. "After that she'll be wide awake." Needless to say- it was going to be a long few hours for the Cahills.

…

"You should be taking it easy. That's what a normal person would do." Sinead said wearily while running beside Amy- albeit slower than usual.

"Cahills don't do normal." Amy replied, it was the saying that had come somewhat of a joke between the two girls since the clue hunt.

"Touché, but does Fiske even know you're down here?"

"Nope. He thinks I'm in my room sleeping."

"What happens if he looks at the gym cameras? Or decides to go in and check on you?"

"He won't, what do you say we go through The Course?" Amy asked referring to the humongous obstacle course that an Olympic athlete would have trouble getting through-let alone staying alive in. Amy and Sinead did it every day as part of their training. Then again they _were _Cahills.

"No Amy. Fiske told you to take it easy I'm already letting you run- don't push it."

"Weights?"

"No."

"Swimming?"

"No."

"Both?"

"Amy!" Sinead exclaimed exasperated.

"Fine." They continued running for a few minutes in silence. "How about-"

"No."

"Killjoy."

"Love you to Amy," Sinead said sweetly. Her only answer was a 'light' punch on the arm. Suddenly Amy stumbled over her feet and fell on the ground- breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" Sinead asked, concerned.

"…Yeah," Amy replied weakly pushing herself up with her unbroken arm. This action only caused her to wince in pain and grab her cracked rib.

"You. Bed. Now. Understand? Come on I'll help you." Sinead proceeded to support Amy all of the way to her room.

"I got it from here Sinead, thanks." Sinead paused for a moment, searching Amy's eyes.

"Alright." Amy waited until Sinead had rounded the corner of the hall way before typing in a long code, placing her hand on a hidden panel for confirmation, and having her retina scanned. Underneath her there was a pressure sensitive plate that measured her weight and verified it before giving the final green light to allow the door to open. Amy sighed and collapsed on her bed fully clothed.

…

The mood at the lunch table was considerably more cheerful than the one at breakfast. No one, except Fiske, raised an eyebrow to the fact that Amy didn't join them. His only reaction though was to give Sinead a knowing look and a "We'll talk about this later." Everyone was so busy talking and joking, with Dan trying to imitate one of Jonah's newest hits, Natalie threatening him with her dart gun, Hamilton and Reagan having a contest to eat the most, etc.; that no one noticed Fiske's phone go off. Except him that is. He had it set to alert him to any new messages that came to the Command Center, as did Amy. He opened it thinking that it was probably one of the automated checks on possible Vespers had gotten a match. Instead he found something that chilled his blood. The message read:

_Dear Cahills,_

_We're throwing a party! We thought it was the least we could do since you had to cut your vacation short. But alas, we only have room for one more person. It is extremely dangerous to go over the guest limit. Are you feeling better Amy? You already know where, is midnight alright? Nellie's excited to see you again._

_Get Well Soon,_

_ V1_

_P.S. Tell the girl Starling congratulations. It took us a full thirty seconds to bypass her security._

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough cough* anyways still looking for more votes on A) who Amy should get together with (btw what is Amy and Jonah's couple name? I can't find it anywhere!) B) What about Kurt and Evan? Yay or nay (yes or no) C)What do you think of the story so far? D) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! (Pwease?)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I know its been a really long time but... THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 2,000 WORDS! And let me tell you the first part took me FOREVER to write seriously, it was painful (so thats why it kinda sounds... off). I thought about splitting it into two chaps but I couldn't stop writing towards the end. This story is about to get awesome ;D okay and I want to know something: Am I weird that I go back and replay Mission Eight on the 39 clues . com? I do it because of Ian *girlish giggles* lol anyway answers to reviews are at the bottom.**

Chapter 5

**Third Person POV:**

"… midnight?"

"…Amy?"

"…a party? Fiske can I go?"

"… _thirty seconds_… _thirty seconds_… Starling girl… really?"

"… will there be food at this party?"

"…Nellie…"

"…where?"

"Everyone quiet!" Fiske yelled, and then continued in a hushed whisper, "We need to think, _all _of us. First things first, Sinead, where's Amy at?" Sinead took a second to glance down at her tablet and tapped the screen a few times.

"It looks like she's still sleeping, she's isn't on any of the cameras."

"Good, can you trace the message?"

"No it was sent through the CCC mainframe by an anonymous server. I could try to hack into it but there probably won't be very much information."

"How long will that take?"

"More than thirty seconds…" Sinead mumbled.

"Get started. We'll meet you in the CCC later; we have a few things to discuss here first. Keep an eye on the cameras and warn me if Amy comes out of her room. And send an alert, I want every agent available patrolling, understand?" Sinead nodded and walked briskly out of the door, already typing furiously.

"Now then I have an idea on what the message could mean so your cooperation would be appreciated. V1 is obviously Vesper One. From the little amount of information we have on the Vespers we had suspicions about what is called the Vesper Council of Six. These thoughts were obviously just confirmed. We are trying to uncover their identities as we speak. The vacation they are referring to is probably the little run in we just had with a few of them. To put it simply; the rest basically says that they have Nellie, and they want to swap her for Amy."

"Well that's easy then, we just go with Amy, save Nellie, and kick some Vesper butt!" Dan said looking somewhat pale.

"If only it was that easy, Daniel. The message clearly says that Amy has to go alone to a place only _she _knows." Natalie said matter-of-factly.

"Exactly. The problem is that there is no way that Amy, or anyone else, is going to try to rescue Nellie- it's too dangerous."

"So you're going to leave Nellie with the Vespers? What kind of plan is that?" Dan exclaimed.

"I'm afraid it's our only choice, they might not even have Nellie. One thing is certain, _no one_," Fiske locked eyes with each person, "Is going to tell Amy. Understood?" Everyone nodded their heads, some more reluctantly than others. "You will each spend time with her for the remainder of the day. Never allow her to be by herself, if she shows _any _signs of reading the message or leaving- tell me _immediately_."

"But-" Dan started.

"No, Dan. And as of now this house is on lockdown," Fiske typed something on his tablet and there were numerous _clicks_ heard around the house. "No one gets in, and no one gets out."

**…**

"This is the CCC, or Cahill Command Center. It is designed to be a base for Cahills around the world and to monitor Vesper activity. We will forgo the tour for now. If you would please step right over here. Yes that's it." Fiske pointed to the object next to him. "One at a time- look straight into the camera and place your hand on the scanner. Ian you first." Ian stepped forward cautiously and did as he was instructed.

"Ian Kabra." A robotic voice stated, "Lucian. Allegiance: Unknown. Suspicion Level: Five. Parents: Vikram and Isabel Kabra. Age: Sixteen. Cleared for Access Level Four." Ian raised an eyebrow at Fiske.

"This is a retina and hand scanner, I already cleared all of you but it needs to have the data for it to be confirmed. You have access to some of the files and most of the rooms now. If a door doesn't open for you or you can't view a file it's for a reason. Some rooms you require a person's permission to enter, example: the bedrooms. There are also a few others like personal studies, etcetera. You all will be Level Four, there are eight levels. Dan and Sinead are Level Six, Mr. McIntyre and I are Level Seven, and Amy is Level Eight. The reasoning behind this is purely based on what you need to know. The suspicion level is just what it sounds like, the more we question your loyalty and ethics the higher the number. We won't go into the specifics now. Your allegiance is which side you are on, there are three options: Cahill, Vesper, or Neutral. This is connected to your suspicion level. The rest are just facts to help the computers recognize you, but we have many more in our database. Who's next?"

"Jonah Wizard… Allegiance: Cahill…"

"Reagan Holt… Suspicion Level: Two…"

"Madison Holt… Parents: Eisenhower and Mary-Todd Holt…"

"Hamilton Holt…Age: Sixteen…"

"Natalie Kabra… Suspicion Level: Five…"

"Alright, now that that's over how about a tour?" Fiske glanced around, "Sinead?"

"Over here!" A disembodied voice called from behind a rather large wall of monitors.

"Are you making any progress tracking the message?"

"Some… I've never seen security codes like this before…" Came Sinead's frustrated reply.

"Keep working on it; is there any way to tell if it was sent to Amy as well?"

"That I did figure out, we're the only ones that received it- but it is entirely possible that they sent it at a different time. In fact it makes more sense to do it that way, less chance of a security breach." Sinead said- never looking up from the computer she was at.

"We'll just have to watch Amy closely. Were the Vespers able to view any other files?"

"That's the only good news. The only thing they were able to take control of was the messaging, and only long enough to send- not view anything. So much for their superior hackers." Sinead snorted.

"Yes, yes Sinead you did well on our security. Do we have agents constantly watching the grounds? Was the lockdown successful?"

"Sir, yes, Sir" Sinead replied drily. Fiske wisely chose not to comment.

"Everyone feel free to explore a bit now, I have a feeling you'll be spending a lot of time in here. Ian, Natalie? May I have a word?" Fiske led the two teens over to a corner away from everyone else. "You might be wondering why your suspicion numbers were higher than everyone else's and your allegiance didn't say 'Cahill'. Am I correct?" Two nods. "Are either of you aware of your mother's maiden name?" Two shakes of the head this time. "I wanted to tell you before everyone else because I feel you have the right to know. Your mother's name was originally Isabel _Vesper_-Hollingsworth.

**…**

"You can't hide forever Amy!" Hamilton yelled. But he wasn't quite sure; when Amy woke up she had tried to sneak down into the gym- alone. After five minutes Fiske had dragged her out citing that she 'was going to hurt herself even more'. So Hamilton had challenged her to a paintball match in the course Dan had insisted be built in the backyard. The game had been going on for almost an hour and he hadn't seen Amy except from when they first started. Fiske was going to kill him.

_Snap. _Hamilton heard a rustling noise to his left. He turned instinctively and saw Amy, frozen, a little ways away. They locked eyes for a moment until Hamilton began to run towards her. She smiled and sprinted the other way, only to run a few feet before tripping and falling heavily to the ground. '_Crap_.' Hamilton slid on his knees the rest of the way.

"Amy! Amy are you alright?" He turned her over, only to be looking down the barrel of a paintball gun. Looking past it he could see Amy's twinkling green eyes looking up at him mischievously.

"I win." She punctuated each word with a paintball splatter on his chest. She casually got up brushing herself off and reached down to pull him up. After he was finally upright she beamed at him, "Well that was fun."

**…**

"Hello, Ian." Amy said calmly not glancing up from her book- startling the person sneaking up behind her.

"How did you know it was me, love?" Ian asked taking a seat on the chair across from her. She had come to the library looking for some peace and quiet but apparently that wasn't an option today.

"Come on, Ian, use that devious little Lucian brain of yours."

"If I knew that that wasn't meant as a compliment I might have been offended," Amy made a face at him, "I would assume that the security check I had to endure to get in might be it. Or the cameras," He said gesturing to the tablet lying next to her.

"Both actually. The room announces the person trying to enter if it's occupied; I'm also alerted when anyone approaches the area I'm in. But, yes, poor you having to 'endure' a simple retina scan." Ian looked at her intently.

"Are you unhappy?" Amy glanced at him sharply.

"No," She said slowly, "In fact I haven't been happier since before…" Amy left the sentence unfinished. "I love being Madrigal leader, I'm just stressed. It's hard to unite a family that's been fighting for 500 years, and then once we do the whole Vesper thing comes up." Ian sensed she was going to break down and quickly strode over to her and sat down. The two fit comfortably in the large chair and he put his arm around her gently. Amy looked at him gratefully. "And this ring, the ring…" She looked away, absentmindedly twisting it around her finger. After a few moments her eyes suddenly jerked back to his face. "Sorry, what were we talking about? I zoned out there for a minute."

"Your book, love, is it Jane Austen?"

**…**

"That sounds tight, yo." Amy jumped, her hands hitting a few wrong keys and ruining the melody of Fur Elise by Beethoven. Amy had taken piano lessons when she was younger, at Grace's insistence, and since the end of the clue hunt had been trying to improve through the help of a Madrigal-Janus agent.

"Uh- thanks Jonah." He walked over and sat down on the bench next to her studying the music.

"Fur Elise, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Great song, even by my homie Beethoven. You're pretty good, try the bridge again." Amy gave him a look, "Trust me, just play." Amy complied and played, albeit awkwardly with her cast. Jonah listened intently for a few seconds.

"That was good; just try to put more of an accent on the first note. Like this." Jonah played it perfectly, his eyes never leaving her the whole time. "Now you try." Amy's fingers moved slower than Jonah's but she played the correct notes. "Better, now make the notes _go_ somewhere. Start loud and get softer with each phrase. Here." Jonah placed his hand over Amy's and played a few measures with flawless dynamics. They both looked up at the same time, each looking at the other. "Perfect."

**…**

Dinner that night was a loud affair. There was a lot of laughing and talking from everyone. Natalie was telling Ian about the clothes she had ordered for Amy. Madison and Reagan were telling Hamilton about the gym. And Sinead was trying to convince Fiske to let Ned and Ted come. Amy joined in several conversations laughing with everyone else. At one point Dan cracked a joke that even Amy found funny- until it caused her to wince from her ribs. Fiske noticed.

"Amy, why don't you turn in it's been a rather long day. There's some medicine from the doctor on the counter to help with the pain." Amy shot him a grateful smile and got up to clear her barely eaten plate off of the table.

"Goodnight."

**…**

Once in her room Amy threw the pills away in disgust. Would her own family really stoop so low as to try to drug her to sleep? She knew that they didn't want her to know about the message but to go to that extent? She had thought that the Cahills had left the backstabbing behind, obviously not. Amy glanced at her alarm clock; 6:47. Five hours. There was much to be done in that time. '_Five__ hours, only five more hours Nellie. I'm coming._'

**That's right. I just managed to fit Hamy Amian and Amonah all in one chapter. *Wipes away tear* sorry its really late/early right now (And sorry if you hated the Amian it kinda wrote itself)... OH IMPORTANT MESSAGE: To anyone who has reviewed about my grammar it is greatly appreciated and I'm glad you take the time to point it out but I don't have the patience for a Beta so that option is out. I tried to proofread this one carefully but I still probably made mistakes :( I hope I don't sound mean but I just want to put that out there.**

**Person****: I hope this chapter answered your question ;D I'm not sure about Kurt yet, but maybe ;)**

**I'm sane. maybe:**** Awesome username!**

**KTRose12****: I'm still in shock that you read my story (and liked it!) Your stories are amazing! And the message was really fun to write :) haha and as for waking up with them surrounding me... that would be freaking awesome :D**

**crankybay****: Thanks!**

**Clara0414****: See above important message ;D Seriously though I do appreciate it :D**

**Elizabeth****: thank you!**

**athena grl****: don't I know you from somewhere else ;) hmmm...thanks!**

**Hostage2****: I hope you enjoyed the Amonah in this chap!**

**luz it****: Thank you so much! People like you are why I update :D**

**Next time on United... will Amy be able to sneak out undetected? Will she be able to save Nellie? Will you stop thinking these words in that voice? Anyone that can tell me what I referenced in the paintball scene will get a special mention! (It's kinda hard) lol I'll try to update soon, until then blow up my inbox with reviews... I spent A LONG TIME on this chapter... :D anyways REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay this was a _really _fast update like seriously fast :D This chap isn't as long but it couldn't be longer so yeah... haha there is a really long paragragh in here I know just bear with me. Also almost this entire chap is from Amy's POV not something we've had yet :D sorry if she seems a little I don't know... I'll just say OOC ok? ATTENTION: If I get to 50 reviews I'll update REALLY fast but I'll let you read...**

**Me: HAAAAAARRRRRRYYYYYY! Disclaimer please! **

**Harry: Um, disclaimer?**

**Me: *whispers* read the notecard!**

**Harry: Okay, BookwormGirl16 does not own the 39 clues. What she does own is the spot of maid of honor at Hermione and I's wedding!...wait huh?**

**Me: Awwww Harmony 3 and I ACCEPT!**

Chapter 6

**Amy POV:  
>8:52- 3:8:48 till midnight.<strong>

This has to work. It has to. There isn't another option. _Failure _isn't an option. The future of the Cahills, and ultimately the world, depend on it- on me. Again. Is it a bad sign that I'm not even surprised anymore? I smile mirthlessly, confirming my suspicions that I probably have some deep-rooted psychological disorder. Or I'm just dreaming- I probably fell down several flights of stairs when we were visiting Grace and am in the hospital recovering from severe injuries. But no, my luck isn't _that _good. I groan and slam my head down on my computer desk- definitely a psychological disorder. I lift my head and stare at the same screen I had been for an hour. Everything that could be done now was finished- except one thing. Three hours to write several relatively short letters. It might actually take that long…

…

**10:39-1:21:14 till midnight.**

I rub my eyes and stare blearily at the envelopes in front of me. My trash can is filled with crumpled and ripped pieces of paper. How are you supposed to tell your loved ones that you left on a suicide mission and may never see them again? You couldn't very well just write 'Hey! See you later, if I live, don't wait up.' Yeah _that _would go over well. Especially with Dan. _Dan_. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Stubborn Dan. He'll try to come after me- I'm sure. That's why the letters were necessary, but even those I'm not sure will work. I'm actually glad now that Dan had used his original Level Seven privileges to send out an ad for a ninja on the Cahill Message Board. Fiske had been furious and had bumped him down to Level Six. One more thing making it impossible for him to go looking for me. I'm not even sure that with Level _Eight_ clearance I'll be able to escape.

_Beep._ I jump slightly glancing at my clock. 11:45. Time for the prison breakout to begin. I can't help but smile, this is going to be fun. I maximize a tab on my computer screen filled with green numbers on a black background. I had had a little extra time so decided to be cliché about it. Why not? With only a slight hesitation I press 'Enter' feeling slightly guilty about the very large headache I had just sent Sinead's way. The screen goes completely dark and I have to fight the urge to laugh like a villain on TV. I shake my head. I'm spending _way _too much time with Dan. Quickly checking the cameras I spot the Madrigal prison guards- I mean _agents_ that are patrolling the manor. There is an abnormal amount on this floor and on my way to the exits. Could Fiske be _more _obvious? Probably not. I roll my eyes and walk over to my bed where a small black duffle bag is sitting. In my head I go through a checklist of items I need to bring with me. Dart gun? Check. Knives? Check. GPS? Check. Prepaid cellphone? Check. The first thing they would do when they realized I was missing would be to call my phone. The next would be to track it. Because I wouldn't leave the house without my Madrigal-issue smart phone, right? Wrong. That would be like handing Cahill information over to the Vespers. That's why a couple of months ago I'd bought a cellphone, with cash. Completely untraceable to anyone who doesn't know my number. And seeing as I haven't used it yet, like I said; completely untraceable. Just what I need.

Looking around my room one last time I have a sudden urge to do what I said I was going to do- go to sleep. Curl in a ball and let the bad thoughts slip away. Let other people fix my problems. Be a kid, where the scariest thing in life was a nightmare. My eyes water slightly. Being a kid means you're innocent, like Dan- even after the clue hunt he's still a kid, but innocence is something I just can't afford to have.

…

**11:03-0:57:39 till midnight.**

I allow myself to breathe once I'm on the highway. I had managed to get out without being seen. Of course managing to feed a loop to all of the cameras I would show up on helped a great deal. My Ekat training had apparently paid off. It's pretty ironic that the training _Fiske _insisted on helped me go against _his _wishes. Ekat for cameras. Lucian for strategy. Tomas for the part where I had to deviate from my plan and climb out of a two story window. And Janus for the creativeness of the plan as a whole. But the plan wasn't complete yet. Oh no, nowhere near complete.

…

**11:58-0:2:56 till midnight.**

I pull into a vaguely familiar driveway and memories of a party, a small baby pool, sidewalk chalk drawings, and finally a fire drift through my mind. The last image is by far the most clear. A single tear rolls down my cheek for loved ones that left me behind and ones I've just left behind. According to Madrigal files this driveway and the weeded area surrounding it are legally mine, and Dan's of course. Silently I grab my bag and step outside. Complete quiet. The streetlamp sends out feeble rays of light that barely illuminate the darkness surrounding me.

_Beep. _Midnight.

"Welcome home, Amy." The world goes black.

…

**Third Person POV:**

Exactly 39 miles away Sinead Starling is awoken by an alert on the CCC monitors. It's the alert for another Vesper message.

_Dear Cahills,_

_Transaction complete. Expect your package within 5-6 business days. No refunds or exchanges. Thank you for choosing us. Enjoy._

_V1_

**QUIT GLARING AT ME! I know its a cliffhanger (its actually a double one) so as Amy would say... MWAHAHAHAHAHA oh if you want the madness to end get me to 50 reviews and I'll update REALLY soon okay? BTW that Vesper message and scene was WAY to fun to write :D oh and I looked it up on Google Maps it IS 39 MILES FROM ATTLEBORO TO BOSTON! That is so Not just a coincidence! and did anyone notice the times? oh and if anyone caught the mistake at the end of the last chapter its been changed :Danyway I need to know what pairings you want for: DAN, SINEAD, NATALIE, NELLIE, and others and also your pick for AMY! haha I'll answer some reviews now...**

**Hostage2****- Thanks for pointing that out! and me too I mean they're WAY too OOC and unrealistic I think whatever guy gets Amy should fight for her. And now that you mention it I have an idea for some Deagan (I still think their couple name should be Reagan= REAG for Reagan and AN from Dan XD) I'm not totally opposed to Natan but they would both have to have some changes to their character first. lol Amy is my fave character in case you can't tell ;) but the Holts are pretty high up on my list. And I thought that too for like the first few books! And I did read some of your stories :D**

**Amycahillfan101****- lol its okay but thank you for reviewing now! And I like that pairing, a lot, but I'm not sure if its the way I wan't to go with this story (I like Hamy and Amonah too) haha and i like ice cream :D**

**athenagrl****- I updated soon! :)**

**shiningwaves****- its chapter six but seven is going to be good too :D **

**KTRose12****- *dramatic bow* thanks :D and yeah wheen I had that idea I immediately ran to my computer and started typing XD**

**Until Next Time (or when I get 50 reviews),**

**BookwormGirl16**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a slightly longer chapter to tide you over until I have time to write again. Classes and many other things have taken up most of my time. This summer this story has gotten 2 or 3 updates while my MoA hasn't had any. If you are a MoA follower I'm deeply sorry. Also an important anniversary has come to pass, my first year on ! And accordingly I was thinking about changing my username... what do you think? I might put a poll on my profile sometime soon. Let's see what else?... Hunger Games DVD anyone? ;) epic. The Last Guardian? epic. And the Olympics? Did anyone else see the U.S. diver Katie Bell? I'm a total Potterhead so the Olympics being in London and having a diver with that name can't be a coincidence. I'm convinced that Harry and Hermione are married and came to the Olympics to cheer Katie on. Anyone else? :D Whose excited for Shatterproof? Enough of my ramblings for now...**

Chapter 7

**Third Person POV:**

_Error._

_Virus Detected._

_Error._

_Cameras Offline._

_Error._

_Connection Failed._

_Error._

_Security Check Failed._

_Error._

_System Sweep Failed._

_Error. Error. Error. Error. Error._

_Loading…_

_Connection Complete._

_Cameras Online._

_Security Check: Neutral._

_Restarting System…_

"And we're back."

…

"Sinead, what in Gideon's name was that?"

"_That _was the entire mainframe being rebooted." Fiske glared at the Ekat through the screen.

"And why was it necessary?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Sinead turned her attention to another monitor, "but it looks like some kind of a bug…" she paused before slowly turning back around and whispering, "a _home-based _bug." Fiske's eyes widened in understanding.

"Get everyone in the CCC _now_, I'll check her room."

…

_Beep beep beeeeep._

"Mmmm," A small arm flopped out from a pile of ninja covered sheets to land on a tablet on top of a bedside table.

"Dan…Dan… Dan!... Daniel Arthur Cahill, wake up!

"Wadda wan Sineaaad?"

"Get up and bring everyone up to the CCC now- for Gideon's sake Dan, get up!"

"Five minutes…" Dan closed his eyes and pulled the covers over his head.

"Your ninja suit is on fire."

"AHHHH!" Dan literally jumped out of bed, eyes wide open- looking wildly around the room. "Sinead!" He whirled to look at her- only to be met with a blank screen.

…

Dan walked down the third floor corridor in his ninja suit grumbling the whole way. Not that he was actually surprised, telling him that any of his prized possessions were; on fire, being stolen, or any other number of things- was Amy and Sinead's preferred way of waking him up for school. Honestly, you would think the nerds would have at least tried to wake him up the normal way first. What really made him mad though, was that he fell for it. Every time. Even _Fiske_ thought it was funny. Well, it was time someone else was laughed at.

Smiling evilly he checked each of the doors to see if Sinead had unlocked them for him. She had. Hmm, now _this_ could be fun. Quickly, but quietly, he opened each of the suite's occupied bedroom doors only pausing to snicker at Ian's pink dollar sign boxers- before standing in the hallway again. Trying to hold in his laughter, he took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "WAKE UP! I FOUND A CLUE!" Immediately, three doors were opened and their inhabitants spilled out- wide awake.

"Where?"

"What is it?"

"How'd you figure it out?"

"What are you waiting for, let's go!"

"The _peasant _found it?" The only answer the aforementioned 'peasant' gave was to roll around on the ground clutching his side.

"Y-Y-You _actually_ fell for that! Ha!" The sight of Dan in his ninja suit was enough to jog most of the former clue hunter's memories.

"You shouldn't have done that Dan-o." Hamilton said stepping closer to the shaking form of Dan.

"For once I actually agree with Dolt, you interrupted my beauty sleep." Dan managed to stop laughing for a moment and look thoughtfully up at the youngest Kabra.

"You're right; you need all the beauty sleep you can get."

"Oooooohhhhh," the rest of the onlookers chorused- their anger briefly forgotten.

"Run, dude, run." Leave it to a Holt to state the obvious.

"All powerful ninja lords don't take orders," he said getting up- without taking his eyes off of Natalie. "I'm leaving because I want to."

"It's quite alright Daniel, I need to mix up a special poison for you- none of the ones I have with me are lethal enough. But I suggest you tell us whatever was important enough to wake us up at 12:15 in the morning before I find one that makes you wishit _was_ lethal."

"Um, thanks? And what was it… oh yeah! Sinead wants us all in the CCC now, something about an emergency?" Dan shrugged. "It's probably just one of Fiske's drills."

…

_No. _It's amazing how a simple shake of the head can bring your world crashing down. Fiske didn't need to say anything, Amy was gone. Yes, Sinead's logical mind had already concluded that she wasn't- but this was final confirmation. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out Dan on the security monitors- leading the rest of the Cahills to the CCC. _Dan. _She purposefully hadn't told him anything when she woke him up- when there had been hope.

"Anything?"

"Letters and the ring." Sinead's eyes flashed up to Fiske's. Amy had left the ring? This was _not_ good…

Fiske nodded like he knew what she was thinking. "She left one for you," He shuffled the pile of envelopes and withdrew one with her name on it. "Best wait till everyone's here." Sinead gripped the letter tightly- concentrating on Amy's small, neat writing. The two lapsed into silence, each thinking of the same person.

"Helloooo? Sinead?" Dan appeared around the wall of monitors, quickly followed by the rest of the rumpled looking Cahills.

"Hello, everyone. Go ahead take a seat." There was some shuffling as Dan sat as far away from Natalie as possible. Once everyone was seated Fiske gestured toward Sinead and she wearily stood up and walked to a monitor.

"Last night at 11:46 the Cahill Mainframe received a virus. This virus completely shut down all messages, video calls, communications, several security systems, and alerts- and everything else to a somewhat lesser extent. It also sent a loop to at least twenty cameras. At 12:01 this morning we received this message; 'Dear Cahills, Transaction complete. Expect your package within 5-6 business days. No refunds or exchanges. Thank you for choosing us. Enjoy. V1' immediately after it was read, the message disappeared I found the computer completely locked. After a few attempts it restarted." Sinead glanced at Fiske and he took over seamlessly.

"This in turn, set off several alarms. After checking with Sinead, where she informed me that it was home-based, it was abundantly clear why it was needed." Fiske silently passed out envelopes to the intended recipients. "I'm assuming these will clear anything else up quite nicely."

~oOo~

_Dear Everyone,_

_Watch out for each other. The Vespers are counting on us being divided, just like the clue hunt. As much as I would have liked letters to all of you, it simply wasn't possible. On to other matters though, the first thing you should do is fix the security. Obviously there are a few holes (sorry Sinead!). Next, get anyone of use (from the Cahills, preferably) to the CCC. Don't confuse want with need- only people we know __for sure __are on our side (Ned and Ted come to mind). When Nellie gets back, attend to any pressing medical needs but __as soon as possible__ see if she remembers __anything__. The smallest of details could be important. If my plan works though, we should be set. Still, get as many people on the Cahill Network working on possible locations for Vesper hideouts (I don't have to tell you to be discreet about it). One last very important thing, __keep the ring safe__. Do this to the best of your ability but __DO NOT__ put it on. I only have a few vague ideas on what it does, but none of them are good. I __will __be back, but whatever you do, __do not__ follow me. United we will stand, but divided we will fall._

_Amy_

~oOo~

_Dear Dan,_

_I'm sorry, I couldn't leave Nellie with…them. She's part of our family, and I refuse to let them take __another__ member of our family. Nellie would do the same thing for us. I know you would do it for her too- but don't. No matter what happens, __stay safe__. I have no intention of not coming back. I could never leave you. I promised to take care of you a long time ago, and I don't plan on breaking that promise- ever. Stay strong like a ninja,_

_Amy_

~oOo~

_Dear Fiske,_

_I know. I know you told everyone to keep me in the dark. I know that you planned it so I wouldn't be left alone. I know that the 'medicine' you gave me was sleeping pills. I know you thought it was for my own good. You thought wrong. I had to save Nellie, but that doesn't mean that I'm not coming back. And when I do, we're going to have a nice long talk. Take care of Dan, be his parent while I'm gone. With Faith and Love,_

_Amy_

~oOo~

_Dear Sinead,_

_Please don't hate me. I did what I had to d_

_o and I'd do it again. You'd do the same thing if it were Ned or Ted. Just trust me, and don't hate me. I bet you've already broken through my bug- I know it wasn't very strong. I have no doubt that it didn't take you more than a minute. You are the smartest person I know. Don't give up hope; sisters don't give up on each other. Forever,_

_Amy_

_P.S. Keep an 'eye' on Dan._

**Sooooo... what did you think? Can anyone guess at the little 'secret message' Amy put in her letters? Special thanks to KTRose12 for letting me use the line where Dan wakes up everybody! It is completely and totally hers!**

**Person****- Thanks! Deagan is definitely an option for this story ;)**

**Candyloversunite****- Love the username! Thanks for all the couple options, and your unbiased opinion ;)**

**UniversalForce13****- Sorry about not 'consulting' with you for this chapter! I will need your input soon though if you are still willing!**

**athena grl****- yeah Amy is a little more 'hard core' but I think that it is a plausible personality trait that she could've aquired because of the clue hunt.**

**shiningwaves****-hahaha did you catch them? I don't think that this cahpter's ending is classified as a cliffhanger... so maybe you did! And nice try ;)**

**Guest****- Awww, thanks!**

**fieryjunior35****- Thank you!**

**Reginaa2111****- I prefer the term criminal mastermind :D**

**Michelle01142000****- I already answered most of yours ;)**

**~*IMPORTANT*~Okay so I had a comment on my MoA that accused me of only writing for reviews. I would just like to say that that is NOT the case. I write for myself and to an extent all of you. If I only wrote for reviews then my stories would suck even more. Sure I may say that if I get X amount of reviews I'll update sooner, but that isn't the same thing as saying I'm only going to update if I get X amount of reviews. I really enjoy reviews and encourage you to write them, not only for me but other authors as well, but don't make the mistake of thinking I only write for reviews.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Christmas! It happens to be my favorite time of year, and this is your present! An extra long chappie I shouldn't have written! My most popular (and longest) story hasn't been updated in like 5 months *hangs head in shame*. Anywho SPOILER ALERT FOR TRUST NO ONE SKIP NEXT PARAGRAPH**

**Okay so if you're reading this, you've read Trust No One. It's rant time so buckle up. I'm feeling a list coming on; Good Things: Amy's my fave character but I have to admit I loved the angst about her this story, it was fast paced, everyone realized Ian was innocent. Bad Things: SINEAD! Don't even get me started on that piece of crap grrrr, Dan taking the serum WTF? I'm sure he messed it up (or my theory Alistair gave a wrong ingredient so now no one knows the true formula), Isabel Kabra and the way she was so casually introduced as V2, and there is a ton more but I feel sorry for anyone still reading this...**

**SPOILER ALERT OVER: Enjoy the story! Leave me a Christmas gift!**

Chapter 8

**Amy POV:**

Voices. The suffocating darkness turns slightly gray on the edges. Something moves close to me. I feel a dull aching in my arm and side. More voices. I strain to hear what they are saying. I can faintly make out my name before everything goes black once more.

**Third Person POV:**

Sinead carefully made a mark on Dan's letter and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes, taking the time to observe everyone. Fiske had left after reading the letters, one-by-one, out loud. Dan had hollowly given up his letter and was sitting in the corner staring out the window. Reagan and Madison had gone to Amy's room to see if there was anything important Fiske had missed. Natalie and Hamilton had surprised everyone by going together to try to get some information out of the agents who were patrolling. Jonah was on the phone with his dad, trying to get word around to his sources around the world- hoping someone had spotted Amy. Ian was sitting at the worktable across from Sinead, slowly reading and rereading his pile of letters.

"Anything?" Sinead's voice was rough and dead. Ian looked up blearily and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Small things; a word here, a phrase there. It just doesn't add up to anything. Like this, at the end of Fiske's letter she signs it 'With Faith and Love' and right before that it seemed like she was angry with him. It doesn't make sense, is that how she usually signs letters?" Sinead silently shook her head. Dan, still looking out the window, mumbled something.

"What was that Dan?" He sighed and giving one last longing glance out the window, walked slowly over to the table.

"You were talking about this," Dan pointed to the valediction, "Grace used to read us a verse out of the bible on Sundays when we'd visit her. That was one of her favorites, it's missing some though. The one that she read said 'and now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.' it was in Corinthians. Amy thought it was cool that Mom's name was in a book like that. I thought it was cooler that there was a character and a TV show named after Dad." Sinead whipped her head towards Ian.

"Is it possible?"

"It fits, are we sure though?"

"Yes."

…

"Call all agents to the nearest base. Only critical operations stay active."

"Erasmus and McIntyre?"

"Here. We'll need all of the help we can get. But for now I'm going to go see what I can find."

"Backup?" Sinead asked, typing.

"No, it's just reconnaissance - I can handle it."

"Fiske?"

"Yes, Sinead?" Fiske said impatiently.

"Be careful. Dan needs you." His eyes softened.

"Of course, watch him carefully. I can't lose him too." Sinead nodded. "And please do try and make sure they don't kill each other."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"You could try asking nicely?"

…

"Yes…_all_ missions except 502183 or higher…understand? Initiate plan sequence 10-867-Omega Epsilon… _yes _this has been authorized… I want all agents at the nearest base ready… keep eyes out for any hostile forces…await further instruction," Sinead sighed and hung up the phone. There was a knock at the door and she called out wearily, "Yes?" Dan poked his head in.

"Hey, Sinead. Can I come in?" Her face softened and she nodded. Dan closed the door gently and walked slowly to stand by Sinead behind her desk.

"Yes, Dan?" He was silent, staring blankly at Sinead's desk. Confused, she followed his gaze. In between pictures of herself with Ned and Ted and one of the whole Starling family was one of Sinead and Amy from last summer. They were smiling, Sinead remembered that day. She and Amy had been training hard for months and had decided to skip for a day. Fiske had been mad, but it was worth it. Sinead was disgusted by the smile creeping on her face. _No_, she scolded herself. Concentrate on finding Amy.

"I miss her too, Dan." He turned his unseeing eyes to her.

"Do-do you think she'll be okay?" He sounded like a lost little kid, asking where his mom was. With a start, Sinead realized that exactly what she was to him. If it was possible, her heart ached more. Here was a boy that had seen too much destruction and death in a short amount of time- and now the one constant in his life could very easily die.

"Of course she will," Sinead got up and pulled him gently into a hug. "She'll be okay." Then in a whisper, "She'll be okay…"

**Amy POV:**

I try to wiggle my toes slightly. Nothing. Straining my ears, I don't hear anything. But that doesn't mean they aren't watching. One of the many rules drummed into your head during Madrigal training- if you're captured and drugged; don't let the enemy know when you're awake. Try to get a feel of your surroundings, the smallest details- the number of steps for example. It could be the difference between life and death. I try to remember everything leading up to my capture; the streetlight, a man's voice, and then… darkness. '_Start with the voice.' _ Definitely male, there was a rough edge to it, deep- that usually means big, perhaps a little bit of an accent- but if there was it wasn't anything I recognized.

"Hello, Amy." I was so lost in my own musings I didn't even hear anyone approaching, '_You're losing your touch_,' I think grimly. Well, no point in acting now. I slowly open my eyes only to close them against the harsh light. I blink until the white spot in my vision fades away and scrutinize the man standing over me.

"What no 'hello' back?" He smiles playfully. "How are you feeling?" I keep my mouth tightly closed; no way was this loon going to get anything out of me. He continues on though, smiling brightly. "You shook off the effects of the tranquilizer very quickly. Sorry about that, we didn't want to make a scene."

"W-what do you want me for?" My voice was raspy. _'Oh well. So much for not talking.' _ If possible the man smiled wider- _definitely_ a loon.

"Just a chat amongst friends," He looks in the direction he came from, "Can we get some water in here?" Thirty seconds later and another wide smile, from what I'm assuming was a nurse, I was glaring suspiciously at a glass of water. It looked delicious, but I wasn't about to willingly drink something my, albeit happy, kidnappers gave me. I sniff it and hold it up to the light, looking for any of the tell-tale signs of poison.

"It's safe," The man assured me, still smiling. I narrowed my eyes.

"You look like you need a drink, and I don't want to be selfish." The man seemed surprised for a moment but accepted the offered glass. Making eye contact with me he took a gulp. "Swallow," I commanded. He obliged and then flashed me another grin.

"Satisfied?"

"If you don't drop dead in a few minutes I will be." The man had the gall to look hurt. "I didn't catch your name." I was stalling, torture- torture I expected. I knew it was probably what they would do to me. I wasn't ready for the warm reception and smiles. I'd almost prefer the torture, at least then I would know what to expect.

"You may call me Damien."

"I'm assuming after Damien Vesper, although you might be interested that it means demon." 'Damien' chuckled.

"Quite a coincidence, but enough of that. You're probably still wondering why you're here?" I nod, and deeming the water safe, take a sip. I take a deep breath and look at 'Damien' expectantly, hoping I don't look as nervous as I feel. "Well, we would be honored if you would join our ranks."

**Wow I'm evil MWAHAHAHAHA! I hope that satisfied everyone's curiousity about Amy (it did for me) ;) The Bible verse mentioned was 1 Corintians 13:13, I'm Roman Catholic (and proud of it!) so I don't see any reason Grace couldn't have read them something out of the Bible. Leave me a Christmas gift in the form of a review?**


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